Senior Year 14: Quadrangle
by Wild Pikachu
Summary: Harrison finds himself beset with girl problems, while Sam uncovers a dangerous part of Jaycee's life. Meanwhile, Brooke's war with Mike and Jane continues.
1. Teaser

**Notes:** _(Re-edited and re-uploaded September 2010)_

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**Guest Cast:**  
Mr. Osbourne: Erick Avari  
Principal Krupps: Robert Gant  
Jaycee: Eliza Dushku  
Delbert: Shia LeBeouf

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**Formatting:** The main differences between the way the episodes are presented here and true script format are that on this website, everything is left-justified, while script format has specific block-margins for dialog, etc., and that scripts are still traditionally printed in Courier (monospace) font. These episodes are also available on my Popular website (link is in my info) if you would like to read them as though they were printed scripts.

**Legal whatchamacallit:** Pre-existing "Popular" characters and situations are ©1999-2001 Touchstone Television, et al. For what it's worth, original material is ©2001-2010 by yours truly, the Wild Pikachu. Please don't steal this without asking first.

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**POPULAR: SENIOR YEAR**

**QUADRANGLE**

TEASER

FADE IN:

INT. KENNEDY HIGH OFFICE - NIGHT

Actually, early morning. Even the janitorial staff has gone.  
But someone has bypassed the alarm system and gained access to  
the office. This room, like the others, is dark—except for  
the glow from a single computer monitor. Bathed in the glow  
of the monitor are two figures: one sitting at the computer,  
the other standing behind, watching.

One of these intruders, the one working the computer, happens  
to be a stereotypical 12-year-old geek named Delbert, who  
comes complete with wire-rimmed glasses, awful plaid shirt and  
pocket protector.

DELBERT  
(hushed)  
Wow—this is so cool. Getting to  
hack into a high school system...  
You don't see dinosaurs like this  
everyday.

As he's talking, he's tapping the keys furiously. Now he  
finishes with a flouish. With a grin, he twists his head  
around and up to look at his companion.

DELBERT (CONT'D)  
There you go—the master grade  
file.

The other intruder—Sam—leans down and nods.

DELBERT (CONT'D)  
We just type in your name, and—

But Sam shakes her head, holding out her hand to stop him.

DELBERT (CONT'D)  
(confused)  
Isnt' that what you want? Jack up  
your GPA with some easy A's?

Instead of answering, Sam reaches for the keyboard herself.

INSERT: THE COMPUTER SCREEN

As it echoes her input: MCQUEEN, BROOKE. An instant later  
Brooke's grades appear. As Sam continues to work the keyboard,  
the highlighted cursor moves across the screen, and the letter  
grades change one by one, A's and B's becoming C's, D's and  
F's. With each change, the cummulative GPA displayed on the  
right side of the screen drops, from 3.78 all the way down to  
1.44.

Sam straightens up, a malevolent grin on her face.

SAM  
There. THAT'S what I want.

WHITE OUT.

END OF TEASER


	2. Act One

ACT ONE

FADE IN:

INT. A HOSPITAL ROOM - EVENING

Jaycee is lying in a bed, heavily bandaged adn hooked up to an  
IV line and lots of monitors. Meanwhile, Sam is sitting in a  
nearby chair, laptop perched on her lap, tapping away quietly.

A faint noise from the bed makes Sam look up. She closes the  
laptop, gets up, sets the computer on the seat and steps over  
to the side of the bed, leaning over to study Jaycee's face.

Jaycee moans again, and her eyes flutter open.

JAYCEE  
(very weak)  
Sam?

Sam reaches out and gently strokes Jaycee's cheek.

SAM  
Hey, you. Welcome back.

Jaycee, with difficulty, focuses her eyes on Sam.

JAYCEE  
Back?

SAM  
It's not like you were in a coma or  
anything. But this is the first  
time you've known who I was.

JAYCEE  
I don't remember.

SAM  
Shhh...it's okay. You got messed  
up pretty bad.

Apparently remember something of the attack, Jaycee squeezes  
her eyes shut, groaning.

SAM (CONT'D)  
When you're up to it, the police  
want to talk to you.

This time Jaycee's eyes snap wide open.

JAYCEE  
Why?

SAM  
Jaycee...you were attacked in your  
own apartment. Why do you think?

JAYCEE  
Did they search the place?

SAM  
What?

JAYCEE  
(insistent)  
Did they?

SAM  
No, Jaycee. They do that to  
criminals' places, not victims'.

JAYCEE  
You called them, didn't you?

Despite the situation, Sam is starting to get indignant.

SAM  
I called 9-1-1. What did you want  
me to do, let you die on the floor?

Jaycee closes her eys again, strength going.

JAYCEE  
No...sorry...

SAM  
You just worry about getting  
better.

JAYCEE  
No...Sam...I have to...

But then a nurse appears in the open doorway.

NURSE  
I'm sorry, Miss. Visiting hours  
are over.

SAM  
Sleep. I'll be back tomorrow.

Sam gather her laptop and walks out of the room, looking back  
at Jaycee all the while.

CUT TO:

INT. MCQUEEN DINING ROOM - EVENING

Mike, Jane and Brooke are having what might look like a normal  
family dinner—except for the palpable tension filling the  
room. And the silence. Mike and Jane keep looking at each  
other, and at Brooke, who steadfastly concentrates on her  
plate, not acknowledging their presence at all.

JANE  
So, Brooke, how was school today?

BROOKE  
(not looking up)  
Fine.

Mike shakes his head discouragingly; apparently they've been  
through this before. But Jane soldiers on.

JANE  
Anything interesting happen?

BROOKE  
No.

JANE  
(laughing awkwardly)  
Nothing at all?

BROOKE  
No.

JANE  
(persisting)  
Brooke, look at me.

Brooke turns her eyes to Jane—but there's nothing there. No  
warmth, no anger, no resentment—nothing at all. That alone  
makes Jane swallow hard.

JANE (CONT'D)  
Did you see Sam today?

BROOKE  
In class.

JANE  
Did she say anything?

BROOKE  
Not to me.

Frustrated, Jane relents, averting her eys. Brooke picks up  
her plate and starts to stand up.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
Excuse me.

But Mike reaches out and grabs her arm roughly. She drops  
back down into her chair.

MIKE  
No, you're not excused.

JANE  
Mike...

MIKE  
No! I've had it with this. Now,  
you can sit there all night, but  
you're not leaving this table until  
you tell us something that happened  
at school today.

Brooke turns that emotionless expression on her father.  
Long seconds of silence stretch out between them.

BROOKE  
We're reading "The Stepford Wives"  
in English class.

Mike seems surprised at getting an actual response.

MIKE  
Oh! Well...that's nice, honey.

BROOKE  
It was my idea.

Something flickers in Mike's eyes, as though he knows that  
Brooke suddenly volunteering information is a danger sign.  
But he presses forward anyway.

MIKE  
It's good that you're that involved  
in your classes.

BROOKE  
I said my parents would be happier  
with a couple of Stepford  
daughters.

Mike's expression turns hard.

MIKE  
You really think that, Brooke?

BROOKE  
Yes.

Throughout her entire time at the dinner table, she might as  
well have been a computer, dispensing toneless responses.  
It's clear that Mike is trying to work up a good argument, but  
Brooke's total detachment is blunting the effect.

MIKE  
Well, you're wrong, Brooke. We  
don't want that at all! We just  
want—I just want to be able to  
talk to you. Like before. is that  
really too much to ask?

Another long, uncomfortable silence.

BROOKE  
(dead flat)  
Yes.

Again she starts to get up.

MIKE  
Brooke—

She freezes halfway out of her seat, gazing at him implacably.

MIKE  
(sighing)  
Nevermind. Go on.

Without a word, Brooke picks up her plate and walks into the  
kitchen. Mike takes his napkin and uses it to mop his face.

JANE  
You see what I mean. Talking to  
her is more exhausting than not  
talking to her.

MIKE  
She won't even fight back. Since  
when does Brooke not fight back?

JANE  
I think she's being passive-  
aggressive.

MIKE  
Whatever she's being, she's too  
good at it. How'd she get to be  
so good at it?

JANE  
I'd settle for figuring out how to  
get her to stop it.

Mike nods glumly, as tey sit there and commiserate.

CUT TO:

INT. BROOKE'S BEDROOM

Brooke steps into the room, her face as expressionless as  
ever, and closes the door behind her. Once the door is  
securely locked, she lets out a puff of air, as if she'd  
actually been holding her breath. She falls on her bed with  
abandon; then she reaches underneath the bed, and hauls up a  
large, thick book.

INSERT: THE BOOK

A scholarly tome entitled "Dysfunctional Families: Signs,  
Strategies and Interpretations".

Brooke opens the book to a bookmarked place in the middle, and  
begins to read lightly, grinning.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - MORNING

Lily walks through the halls, waving and saying hello to  
various people she passes. She and Carmen spot each other at  
the same time—but Carmen ducks her head, trying to avoid  
notice. Frowning, Lily marches right over to her.

LILY  
Okay, Carm, what's going on?

CARMEN  
Uhhh...huh?

LILY  
Don't "huh" me! You're avoiding  
me! You're avoiding everyone!

CARMEN  
Am not. I'm, uh...shy! I'm Shy  
Girl!

LILY  
You are not! And you're not  
talking to anyone, even in class.  
That's not shy, that's inanimate!

CARMEN  
Okay, look, we don't know what to  
do.

LILY  
"We"?

CARMEN  
Me and Sugar Daddy. I mean, we  
don't know who's safe to talk to.

LILY  
Safe? What's that supposed to  
mean?

CARMEN  
It used to be really simple—it  
was Us versus Them. Popular versus  
Not Popular. Dweebs versus  
Glamazons. Now...everybody talks  
to everybody else, except that lots  
of people are mad at other people,  
and so they AREN'T talking to each  
other, and then they get mad if YOU  
talk to them, and— It's like,  
there used to be two sides, and now  
there's, like, six, and everybody  
switches every day. And I don't  
want anybody to be mad at me for  
talking to someone else, and for  
all I know there are people getting  
mad at me right now for talking to  
YOU, and...

Carmen more-or-less runs out of breath.

LILY  
(laughing)  
Carmen, calm down. Nobody's going  
to get mad at you for talking to  
me—

She pauses, glancing upward while performing a quick mental  
check to make sure that's actually true.

LILY  
No, noboy's going to get made at  
you for talking to me, or anyone  
else.

CARMEN  
Oh, really? What about Brooke and  
Natalie going after each other?

LILY  
Well..I'm sure they don't really  
expect everyone to choose sides.

Unbeknownst to Lily, however, Brooke has come upon them, and  
is standing right behind her, arms crossed.

BROOKE  
Yeah? Says who?

Lily spins around, startled.

CUT TO:

INT. SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS - LATER

The gang is settling into Mr. Osbourne's classroom; Lily and  
Brooke happen to be sitting side-by-side. There are a half-  
dozen hushed conversations going on; Brooke starts another one.

BROOKE  
(leaning over)  
I'm sorry.

Lily shoots her a look.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
It was a joke!

LILY  
You scared poor Carmen half to  
death.

BROOKE  
No, I didn't. And I apologized,  
didn't I?

LILY  
I'm not sure she believed you.

Osbourne walks in exactly as the bell is ringing; all the  
half-whispered exchanges die away. He closes the door behind  
him, steps to his usual position at the head of his desk and  
faces the class.

OSBOURNE  
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.  
Today we'll continue our discussion  
on the relevance of—

He is cut off by the door opening. A student carrying a  
thick, rubber-banded bundle comes in, hands the package to  
Osbourne, and walks back out without a word. Osbourne  
puzzles over the bundle for a moment, then removes a Post-It  
note stuck to the top of the papers and scans it. A vaguely  
distasteful expression passes across his face; then he walks  
the bundle over to the desk where Sam is sitting, and  
perfuctorily sets it down in front of her, and hands her the  
note. Sam reads it, and flushes slightly.

SAM  
Sorry.

She gathers her things, along with the bundle of papers, and  
makes a hasty exit from the room.

CUT TO:

INT. KRUPPS' BACK OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Sam drops everything on the desk before sitting behind it.  
She pulls the bundle to her, but before she can do anything  
with it, the telephone on her desk—a new addition—buzzes.  
She picks up the handset.

SAM  
(into the phone)  
Hello?

KRUPPS (V.O.)  
(over the phone)  
Sam? Is this thing working? Can  
you hear me?

SAM  
I can hear you. Can you hear me?

KRUPPS (V.O.)  
Loud and clear.

SAM  
I guess it works, then.

KRUPPS (V.O.)  
Good. You have no idea how much  
trouble I had to give Maintenance  
over it. Took them forever to get  
it wired right.

SAM  
You didn't have to go to all that  
trouble.

KRUPPS (V.O.)  
Nonsense. It'll come in handy—  
I'll prove it. Would you come in  
here a second?

CUT TO:

INT. KRUPPS' OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

The door to the back office opens, and Sam pokes her head in.  
Krupps, still holding the phone in his hand, motions her in.  
As Sam walks in, he pushes a button on the phone, switching to  
another line.

KRUPPS  
(into the phone)  
Shirley, make sure I'm not disturbed.

Sam takes a seat in front of Krupps' desk. He gets up, comes  
around the desk, and perches himself on its corner.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Sam...we have to have a talk.

Sam sighs and her head drops to her chest.

SAM  
Mr. Krupps, I am...SO sorry. I  
know I embarrassed you, I  
embarrassed myself, I embarrassed  
the school—

KRUPPS  
(holding up a hand)  
Wait, wait. Are you talking about  
the meeting with your mother and  
stepfather last week?

SAM  
Aren't you?

He reaches out and touches her gently.

KRUPPS  
No. Sam, you certainly didn't  
embarrass me. Or the school. And  
I hope you don't feel embarrassed,  
either.

Sam looks up at him.

SAM  
But, the way I acted...

KRUPPS  
You WERE coming to my defense, I  
think.

SAM  
I was rude beyond belief.

KRUPPS  
Only to your mother and stepfather.  
Mostly your stepfather. And it  
would be highly inappropriate of me  
to comment on whether or not he  
deserved it.

Sam's mood lightens a bit at that.

SAM  
So, you're not...firing me? I  
figured it took you a week to  
figure out how to chew me out  
right.

Krupps laughs out loud.

KRUPPS  
No, Sam. I'm not firing you. Or  
chewing you out.

He sits in the chair next to Sam, positioning himself so they  
can be face-to-face.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
There IS something we have to talk  
about... But it has nothing to do  
with what happened last week.

SAM  
(hollow)  
Oh.

Sam abruptly gets up and starts to pace.

KRUPPS  
Sam, this is very difficult for  
me... It's something I'm not very  
proud of keeping from you...

She stops at his side, kneels down and looks up at him  
earnestly.

SAM  
Mr. Krupps... I know.

KRUPPS  
No, Sam, I don't think—

SAM  
Yes. I do.

KRUPPS  
Sam, this is something very  
personal—

SAM  
Amanda.

Krupps bolts from the chair.

KRUPPS  
How—?

SAM  
Mr. Krupps, please—

KRUPPS  
Osbourne told you, didn't he? He  
promised me—!

Sam grabs his hands.

SAM  
No, it was me! I...heard you and  
Mr. Osbourne talking. About...her.

Krupps focuses on her face.

KRUPPS  
Then...you knew...

Sam turns away again.

SAM  
At first, I...I was just kind of  
numb. I thought...I thought maybe  
you didn't like me after all...  
Like I was just a...a substitute.

KRUPPS  
Sam, believe me, that was never my  
intention—

SAM  
But I thought of all the things  
you've done—I mean, all the way  
back to getting me my job at the  
paper—

Krupps actually gets an "aw, shucks" look on his face.

SAM  
—and I thought, is it really that  
important? Being a substitute?

He grabs her by the arms and looks hard into her eyes.

KRUPPS  
Sam! Listen to me. You are NOT a  
substitute. I swear to God, you're  
not.

SAM  
Really, it's okay—

KRUPPS  
No! It's not! Please, believe  
me—Amanda has nothing to do with  
you!

A sad little smile crosses Sam's face.

SAM  
Nothing?

KRUPPS  
Absolutely not!

SAM  
I can't believe that. You know I  
can't.

KRUPPS  
Sam—

SAM  
Look, I hate this so much I feel  
like I'm going to throw up. But a  
lot of what he said kind of made  
sense.

Krupps lets go of her, running a hand through his hair. But  
Sam is holding his eyes with hers, and she refuses to look  
away.

SAM (CONT'D)  
Please, you have to be honest with  
me.  
(long pause)  
Please?

He takes her arm and guides her back into her chair. In a  
moment they are sitting face-to-face again.

KRUPPS  
I'm not sure what to say.

SAM  
Tell me everything. Tell me about  
Amanda.

KRUPPS  
All right. Yes, I had a daughter.  
Her name was Amanda. She died—she  
and her mother died—almost ten  
years ago.

Sam's face tightens and she reaches out for his hand.

SAM  
I'm... Was it...?

KRUPPS  
There was an accident. It was  
late, it was on a mountain road...  
A tanker truck jacknifed in front  
of them. They were...the car was  
incinerated.

He reaches up to wipe away his tears; Sam blinks away hers.

SAM  
Oh, my...

KRUPPS  
It was... They said it was... It  
happened instantly. They didn't  
feel anything... Probably... They  
probably didn't even know it was  
happening.

He takes a tissue from his desktop, and wipes Sam's eyes.

SAM  
I'm sorry... You don't have to...

KRUPPS  
Sam—this is very important. Yes,  
I miss Amanda. And her mother.  
Very much. And yes, sometimes I  
wonder what she would be like.  
What she would be doing. But YOU  
are not HER. I swear it, Sam, I  
absolutely promise you. I don't  
see Amanda. I see YOU. I don't  
want you to be Amanda.

Sam considers him gravely; her eyes flick momentarily to his  
hand, which, despite his protestations, is holding her in a  
distinctly fatherly way.

SAM  
You mean you don't wish you could  
do all those father-daughter  
things?

KRUPPS  
Of course I—!

He catches himself, realizing the point she's trying to make.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Of course I do.

Krupps gets up, and distances himself from Sam by a few steps,  
turning his back to her.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
I apologize, Sam. It seems I've  
drawn you into my personal  
problems. It won't happen again.

But Sam is shaking her head, growing more alarmed by the  
moment, and finally she jumps up and runs to him.

SAM  
(urgently)  
No. No! That's not what I—  
Don't say that!

KRUPPS  
Sam, it's clear that we can't  
continue like this. Erick is  
right—I can't have you acting as  
my surrogate daughter.

SAM  
Why not?

Krupps steps back, seemingly surprised by the question. Sam  
presses close to him.

SAM (CONT'D)  
We haven't done anything wrong!  
It doesn't matter why you did  
anything—it's still not wrong!

KRUPPS  
It's a little more complicated than  
that.

SAM  
No! Just, foget Mr. Osbourne said  
anything, okay? Forget I said  
anything!

The resigned look on Krupps' face tells her that's not going  
to happen.

SAM (CONT'D)  
(desperately)  
Please! Mr. Krupps—Calvin—you  
can't just...abandon me, not now.  
I don't know what I'd do...

Sobbing, she sags into him, clutching at his jacket.

SAM (CONT'D)  
I'll do anything you want, just  
don't do this!

He pulls her up and holds her tight, allowing her to bury her  
face in his shoulder.

KRUPPS  
Shhh... I'm not abandoning you...  
I'm very sorry, Sam. I never meant  
to hurt you.

SAM  
(muffled)  
If you don't want to hurt me, then  
don't...don't leave me all alone.

KRUPPS  
I'm not, Sam. You're not alone.

SAM  
I will be!

Krupps pulls her away enough to be able to look her in the  
eye.

KRUPPS  
Your mother will always be there  
for you no matter what.

SAM  
(scornfully)  
She doesn't care. She's got Brooke  
now. And Mike.

KRUPPS  
You're mad at her, but you know  
that's not true.

SAM  
I'll never go back and live with  
Mike. Never.

A concerned expression grows on his face.

KRUPPS  
Sam, has Mike ever...hurt you?

Her eyes widen as she comprehends his meaning.

SAM  
Oh! No! He never laid a hand on  
me. He's not like that. Just all  
tight-lipped and bubbling-under-  
the-surfacey. Except when he's  
yelling.

KRUPPS  
You're sure? You could tell me  
if—

SAM  
(dismissive)  
No, no. He's not abusive. Just  
totally clueless. And completely  
unfair. And impossible to live  
with.

KRUPPS  
Sounds like a lot of fathers, or at  
least their teenage children's  
opinions of them.

SAM  
(defiant)  
Not like MY dad.

KRUPPS  
I'm sure your stepfather has no  
illusions of replacing your father.  
Expecially after last week.

SAM  
Mr. Krupps...when I came in here  
last week and, uh...made a total  
fool of myself—

KRUPPS  
There's no need to explain. I  
realize now—you'd just found out  
about Amanda, so naturally you'd  
say what you did, to hurt your  
stepfather. I know you didn't  
really mean it.

SAM  
(heart-felt)  
I meant it. I meant every word.

KRUPPS  
You don't have to—

SAM  
No! Stop. You've NEVER dismissed  
me. Please don't start now.

He shakes his head as if trying to clear his mind, dropping  
into one of the chairs.

KRUPPS  
No. I can see you mean it. I just  
don't know how to react to how you  
feel. I guess...subconsciously, I  
must have known there was a some  
kind of connection. I MUST have...  
On some level, I must have known  
what I was doing.

Sam drops to one knee, putting herself at his eye level again.

SAM  
(encouraging)  
On some level, so did I. Just not  
the same level.

Krupps makes a visible effort to marshall his thoughts.

KRUPPS  
Be that as it may, the fact remains  
that I can't possibly ask you to—

SAM  
No—I'M asking YOU. Please.  
Don't...change, don't let this...  
let us...

She breaks off, regroups.

SAM (CONT'D)  
You don't understand—I want to do  
all those father-daughter things,  
too. When we went up to the  
mountains, I felt...I felt... I  
haven't felt like that in almost  
five years.

She takes his hands in her again, squeezing them tight, her  
eyes boring into his, seemingly trying to project her soul  
with every word.

SAM (CONT'D)  
I'm asking you. I'm begging you.  
PLEASE. Don't take that away from  
me. You'll kill me if you do.

KRUPPS  
Sam, I—

SAM  
I promise I'll make you proud. As  
proud as SHE would have.

For a moment Krupps' eyes cloud over, and Sam, reading it as a  
painful memory, really loses it.

SAM (CONT'D)  
Oh God, I shouldn't have said that,  
I didn't mean— I'll never  
mention her again, I swear! I'd  
never compare myself... I'm sorry,  
I'm really sorry!

He brings their hands up to face level, giving Sam something  
immediate to focus on.

KRUPPS  
Sam. Sam! Listen to me. Are you  
listening?

Gradually Sam's panicky eyes settle on him, and she nods  
compliantly.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Good. Now. Breathe.

Krupps begins an exaggerated breathing exercise, in and out.  
With an effort, she matches his rhythm. When he's convinced  
that she's calmed down, he breaks off the breathing and leans  
in.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Okay. Now, I want you to listen to  
me. Okay?

Sam looks a bit unhinged still, but she nods.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
And you'll hear me out? You won't  
say anything until I'm done?

Tentative, but a definite nod.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Promise?

Nod.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Okay.

He pauses for a deep breath himself.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
First of all... There is nothing,  
not anything, that you can't talk  
to me about. Not ever. Not  
Amanda. Not anything. Got it?

Sam appears to think it over before relaxing just a bit, and  
nodding her assent.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Good. Next—you have no idea how  
proud you do make me, Sam. You're  
already doing things that other  
girls won't do until they're out of  
college, and some won't do at all.  
When I see the life you're starting  
to make for yourself... Sam,  
making me proud is something else  
you don't ever have to worry about.  
Okay?

Sam is blushing now, but she nods shyly.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Okay.  
(deep breath)  
Now. No matter how much we want  
to, we can't just make Mr. Osbourne  
or your mother and stepfather or  
the rest of the world go away.

And just like that his tentative hold on her shatters; she  
starts to make little noises in the back of her throat, and  
looks like she's about to bolt the office. Krupps responds by  
holding her hands tightly, almost as if he's trying to rein in  
a skittish mare rather than a teenage girl.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Whoa, whoa! You said you'd hear me  
out, remember? You promised.  
Right?

It seems touch-and-go for a moment, but Sam finally settles  
down a little. Krupps keeps hold of her, though, just in case.

KRUPPS  
Some of those people are genuinely  
concerned for you, and we have to  
respect that. BUT—that doesn't  
mean we have to let them dictate  
what goes on. I'm sorry I said  
what I did before. I was obviously  
overreacting to a very sudden  
shock.

For the first time in over a minute, something that's not  
abject fear shows in Sam's eyes.

SAM  
(barely a whisper)  
Really?

KRUPPS  
Obviously, you are still Treasurer  
of the Student Body General Fund.  
And that's still your own office  
back there. And you can still talk  
to me about absolutely anything.

He loosens his grip enough to hold up one finger.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
But—as for us, there are going to  
have to be new rules.

SAM  
(warily)  
What?

KRUPPS  
For one thing, absolutely no more  
playing around. We're going to  
have to be strictly on-the-level  
and above-board from now on.

Sam's mouth twitches upwards fractionally.

SAM  
No more hot tub?

Krupps drops his head and laughs, relieved that the worst  
appears to be past.

KRUPPS  
No, Sam, no more hot tub. That's  
not the image we need to put out  
there now. Satisfying as it was to  
imagine the looks on certain  
people's faces.

SAM  
(unwinding)  
I always thought you wanted to  
goose someone, but you never told  
me who it was. Not that you have  
to now or anything.

KRUPPS  
Let's just say there's a certain  
Board member who's been gnashing  
her teeth into powder over not  
being able to fire my butt all the  
way to Timbuktu. I'll tell you all  
about it sometime.

He stands up and, still holding Sam's hands, helps her to her  
feet.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
That brings me to the other very  
important thing. You said I had  
to be honest with you. About  
Amanda. And you were right. That  
works both ways. We have to be  
able to be totally, completely  
honest with each other. About  
everything.

Sam looks vaguely anxious for a moment: she realizes that not  
telling him about her drug use is a pretty big lie, at least  
one of omission. But then she puts a calm face on her semi-  
guilty conscience.

SAM  
(nodding)  
Absolutely.

KRUPPS  
I'm not just saying that, Sam. I  
mean it—can tell me absolutely  
anything. Okay?

SAM  
Okay. I totally understand.

KRUPPS  
Good. Feel better?

Sam thinks that one over.

SAM  
I'm...not sure.

KRUPPS  
Mmm-hmm. I think I know what you  
mean. But you're okay, right?

SAM  
Uhh...yeah.

KRUPPS  
Good.

SAM  
Right. Good.

And with that, neither one of them seems to have much idea  
what to say next.

KRUPPS  
So...did you see the budget  
projections?

SAM  
Just got them. Haven't had a  
chance to look at them yet.

KRUPPS  
Okay.

SAM  
Yeah.

Another awkward silence ensues as the conversation sputters to  
a halt again.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT ONE


	3. Act Two

ACT TWO

FADE IN:

INT. SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS

The bell has rung, the students have filed out, and—as is  
becoming habit—Brooke has lingered behind, waiting until she  
and Osbourne are alone before approaching his desk.

OSBOURNE  
Yes, Miss McQueen?

BROOKE  
I asked around. Phil the  
Pharmacist has definitely lost  
Sam's business. Looks like she's  
taken her buying off-campus.

OSBOURNE  
I'd hoped we were making progress.  
But the fact that she's taking  
proactive steps to conceal her  
activities is certainly  
disheartening.

BROOKE  
Guess she doesn't want to be  
caught.  
(pause)  
Oh, hey, did I thank you for the  
book?

OSBOURNE  
You've found it helpful, I trust?

BROOKE  
(gleeful)  
Very. There's this whole section  
on things kids do that annoy their  
parents—I found stuff I'm using to  
drive Dad and Jane absolutely  
bonkers. They don't know what to  
do with me—  
(giggling)  
I swear they're ready to sell the  
house and move to Tibet.

Osbourne makes a dramatic show of rolling his eyes, then  
fixing a reproachful gaze upon her.

OSBOURNE  
Miss McQueen, the point of the book  
is to help restore normal  
communications with your family,  
NOT to allow you to further  
exacerbate the situation.

BROOKE  
(contrite)  
Sorry.  
(pause)  
But if they weren't the most  
unreasonable people in the world,  
there wouldn't be a problem!

OSBOURNE  
I assure you, the vast majority of  
teenagers feel this way towards  
their parents at some point.

BROOKE  
Maybe, but mine ARE.  
(glum)  
If I were successful, like SAM, I  
could just ove out, instead of  
sitting around waiting for letters  
from colleges.  
(sigh)  
I suppose it's too late to apply to  
Oxford.

OSBOURNE  
You are quite wrong, Miss McQueen.  
To measure success solely by  
employment—

BROOKE  
She's not serving up chicken  
dinners at Mr. Cluck's! She's a  
journalist, and she's writing for  
a big newspaper, and she hasn't  
even graduated yet! She's got her  
own place, her own car—however  
THAT happened—

OSBOURNE  
Courtesy of Principal Krupps, I  
understand. Completely legal.

BROOKE  
See? She's already doing all the  
things she wants to with her life—  
AND she's got the goodies to show  
for it! And what am I doing?  
Nothing!

OSBOURNE  
Nonsense. You are continuing to  
prepare yourself. As I said, to  
measure success solely by  
employment or material goods at  
this stage is foolhardy. You  
should view life much as a  
thoroughbred race.

Brooke narrows her eyes at him.

BROOKE  
You're comparing me to a horse?

OSBOURNE  
(unperturbed)  
The horse which breaks fastest out  
of the gate, who leads at the  
quarter pole, or the midway mark,  
almost never wins the race. The  
one who wins is the one who  
steadily paces himself, overtaking  
in the final turn and pulling away  
down the stretch.

BROOKE  
Yeah, that's nice. What about all  
the horses that start last and  
FINISH last?

OSBOURNE  
You are NOT going to finish last,  
Miss McQueen. I reiterate that you  
should not count Miss McPherson's  
blessings too early. Meteoric  
rises are often followed by  
meteoric falls, and I suspect your  
career will long outlast hers.

BROOKE  
Great. Career in WHAT?

Osbourne opens his mouth to answer, but finds himself stymied.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
Ha! Gotcha. You don't know what  
I'm going to do with my life. I  
don't even know what I'm going to  
do with my life.

OSBOURNE  
That IS one of the functions of  
college, Miss McQueen. It's not  
necessary for you to have made up  
your mind at this point.

BROOKE  
Do you have any idea how envious  
I've always been of Sam, that she  
always knew what she wanted to be?

OSBOURNE  
Envy does not become you. You will  
find something which fulfills you,  
and you will excel at it. It WILL  
happen.  
(pause)  
Incidentally, you are also wrong  
about Oxford.

BROOKE  
Huh?

OSBOURNE  
It is most certainly not too late  
to apply to Oxford. I know a man  
in the Admissions office, and for  
the right student, anything is  
possible.

BROOKE  
Ohh...

OSBOURNE  
Of course, it's not something to  
be undertaken on a whim.

BROOKE  
(distant)  
Right... I guess I'll have to  
think about it, then.

CUT TO:

INT. KRUPPS OFFICE

Picking up immediately where we left off before.

KRUPPS  
Well. This isn't starting off too  
well, is it?

SAM  
I'm sorry. It's my fault. I  
shouldn't have kept pushing.

KRUPPS  
No, Sam. You did exactly the right  
thing by pushing. The only thing  
that upsets me is that I didn't see  
it before.  
(reflective)  
Erick came out and accused me  
point-blank, and I STILL refused to  
see it.  
(chuckling)  
That's quite a feat of denial.  
You were probably the only person  
who could have come along and made  
me see what I was doing.

SAM  
(sad)  
I'm sorry I did.

KRUPPS  
I know. But you have to get past  
that. It's going to be better this  
way, I promis. And I always keep  
my promises, don't I, Sam?

After a moment of consideration, Sam nods, and a lot of the  
remaining tension flows away.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Damn right I do. Especially to  
you, no matter what.  
(pause)  
So, what are you doing for lunch?

SAM  
(hesitant)  
Oh, ah...actually I WAS going to go  
by the hospital and see Jaycee.

KRUPPS  
How is your friend?

SAM  
I haven't seen her since last  
night.

He leans over his desk and picks up the phone, pushing the  
intercom button.

KRUPPS  
(into the phone)  
Shirley, Miss McPherson and I are  
taking an off-campus meeting.  
Transfer emergencies to my cell;  
otherwise, I'm unavailable. Thank  
you.

He hangs up the phone, while Sam looks at him curiously.

SAM  
We are?

KRUPPS  
You betcha we are. Besides, nobody  
ever checks these things.

He motions towards the back office.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Go, grab those projections.

Sam starts towards the door, pulls up after one step.

SAM  
Wait, hang on, the student parking  
lot is locked up till lunch.

KRUPPS  
It's okay—we'll take my car.

CUT TO:

INT. KRUPPS' CAR - LATER

As Krupps and Sam settle in their seats, shut their doors and  
fasten their seatbelts.

SAM  
(light)  
I was just getting used to driving  
myself, too. I guess I'm at your  
mercy.

KRUPPS  
Careful who you say that to. There  
are some boys around here...

Sam laughs loudly.

SAM  
As if!

Chuckling, Krupps starts the engine and they drive off.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - LATER

Natalie is standing in a relatively quiet spot when Harrison  
comes up and taps her on the shoulder. Without looking, she  
stiff-arms him, sending him crashing into a row of lockers.  
For a moment—a moment Harrison doesn't see—she looks shocked  
and concerned. But by the time he recovers enough to pull  
himself partially upright and glare at her, she has put an  
aloof expression on her face.

HARRISON  
(aggrivated)  
Would you—PLEASE—stop doing  
that?

NATALIE  
Well, stop sneaking up on me, then.

Grimacing, he pushes himself away from the lockers, rubbing  
his shoulder.

HARRISON  
I wasn't sneaking! What is WRONG  
with you?

She glares right back at him, arms crossed.

NATALIE  
I'll make this real simple,  
Harrison. You want me to stop  
hitting you? Leave me alone.

And she pushes him, no-so-gently, out of the way, walking off.  
He glares after her.

HARRISON  
Fine, then!

After a few moments, though, his angry facade crumbles, and he  
throws up his hands in surrender.

HARRISON (CONT'D)  
No, wait, Natalie!

And he runs after her.

CUT TO:

INT. ANOTHER HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER

Harrison catches up to Natalie, holding up his hands in the  
universal "don't hurt me" gesture when she spins around  
angrily.

NATALIE  
What do you want?

HARRISON  
Just, help me understand, okay?

NATALIE  
(furious)  
What's to understand? You said  
for me to stop bugging you! You  
told me to go away! I did! Isn't  
that what you WANTED?

HARRISON  
(flustered)  
No! I mean, yes, but— No! Not  
like—

NATALIE  
Like what? Aw, to hell with this!

She starts walking away again. He chases after, getting in  
front of her, unmindful of the danger he might be in.

HARRISON  
Natalie, come on. What are you  
doing?

NATALIE  
(heated)  
What am I doing? I'm forgetting  
you. I am not looking at you, I am  
not talking to you. I swear to  
God, I am going to forget  
everything I ever felt for you if I  
have to move back to Minnesota to  
do it!

HARRISON  
I just wanted us to be friends!

NATALIE  
You don't get that choice,  
Harrison. It's not on the menu.

After a moment he nods, calm settling over his features.

HARRISON  
Okay. I understand.

An equal but opposite reaction: Harrison's sudden calm makes  
Natalie even more agitated.

NATALIE  
Okay? OKAY? You understand?  
I don't understand! How can YOU  
understand?

The only response he can come up with is to shrug lamely.  
Doggedly she advances on him.

NATALIE  
I swear, Harrison John, you are the  
most aggrivating...annoying...  
INFURIATING—!

Her forward momentum has put them almost nose-to-nose, and  
without any warning at all she leans up and kisses him, full-  
on. He is so startled that she kisses him for several seconds  
and breaks away on her own, without him lifting a finger to  
stop her. He stares at her, stunned—and then the sound of a  
throat being noisily cleared makes both their heads turn.

Brooke is standing there, of course, a murderous glint in her  
eye. Natalie sizes her up, then, very deliberately, she puts  
her hands on each side of Harrison's face, turns it back to  
her, and kisses him again, long and hard. Then she smirks at  
Brooke, turns, and heads back up the hallway. Harrison just  
stares at Brooke, his mouth hanging open.

HARRISON  
I don't suppose you'd believe that  
I had nothing to do with...

Brooke harumphs and storms off.

HARRISON (CONT'D)  
(to himself)  
...no, I didn't think so.

CUT TO:

EST. HOSPITAL ENTRANCE - LATER

As Krupps' car pulls up.

CUT TO:

INT. KRUPPS' CAR - CONTINUOUS

Sam looks over at Krupps as he stops the car.

SAM  
I thought we were having a meeting?

KRUPPS  
You visit your friend, then we'll  
have our meeting.

SAM  
Oh, I can't ask you to just wait  
around...

KRUPPS  
(patiently)  
You're not asking. Sam, are you  
ever going to start accepting  
things gracefully?

SAM  
Uh, no.

KRUPPS  
That's what I thought. Well, I'm  
still waiting.

SAM  
(venturing)  
Or, you could...come up.  
(hastily)  
I mean, you don't have to or—

Krupps lays a hand over hers.

KRUPPS  
Are you being polite, or is there  
a reason you want me with you?

SAM  
It's...I don't know, it's stupid.  
It's just a feeling.

KRUPPS  
Never ignore that. It's your gut  
trying to tell you something's  
wrong.

He flips off his seatbelt and cracks his door open.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Well? Coming?

CUT TO:

INT. JAYCEE'S HOSPITAL ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

A nurse is dending to Jaycee when Sam and Krupps come in.

NURSE  
Oh, she's about to be taken down  
for a CAT scan. You can have a  
few minutes, though.

The nurse leaves as Sam approaches Jaycee's bedside, with  
Krupps a couple of steps behind.

SAM  
Hey. You look better.

Jaycee makes a minimal effort to raise her head.

JAYCEE  
You know me. Up and partying in no time.

She peers past Sam, to Krupps.

JAYCEE (CONT'D)  
(suspiciously)  
You a cop?

SAM  
Jaycee!

She reaches back and brings Krupps forward.

SAM (CONT'D)  
This is Principal Krupps.

KRUPPS  
Calvin.

Jaycee nods, something she can do without too much difficulty.

JAYCEE  
I know about you. You're Sam's  
guardian angel.

KRUPPS  
(bemused)  
Well... I guess that's one way of  
looking at it.

JAYCEE  
She needs looking after. I'm a  
bad influence.

KRUPPS  
Really...

JAYCEE  
Better believe it.

He puts his hands on Sam's shoulders.

KRUPPS  
I do my best to take care of her.

SAM  
What, the two of you are ganging up  
on me now? I don't need taking  
care of.  
(to Jaycee)  
Did the police come by?

JAYCEE  
(grimacing)  
No, this afternoon. I won't be  
able to tell 'em much, though.

SAM  
You don't remember anything about  
what they looked like?

JAYCEE  
Man, I came home and I got jumped.  
All I remember is things hitting  
me.

The nurse comes back in.

NURSE  
I'm sorry, but it's time.

JAYCEE  
They're going to see if my brain  
got any more scrambled than it  
already was.

SAM  
Okay, well, I'll be back later.

JAYCEE  
Hey, Sam... You don't have to be  
here twenty-four-seven, you know.

SAM  
It's okay, really.

JAYCEE  
No, I'm serious, Sam. You  
shouldn't come around so much.

SAM  
(uncomfortable)  
Um...we'll talk about it later, okay?

Sam casts worried glances back at Jaycee as she and Krupps  
leave the room.

CUT TO:

EXT. HOSPITAL ENTRANCE - MOMENTS LATER

The double doors swing open, and Sam and Krupps walk out of the  
building.

SAM  
See what I mean?

KRUPPS  
If this were a cop show, one of us  
would be saying "she knows more  
than she's telling" right about  
now.

SAM  
Knows WHAT?

KRUPPS  
Obviously, who attacked her. Maybe  
even why.

SAM  
(puzzled)  
But...that doesn't make any sense.  
Why wouldn't she say something?

Krupps offers her a slight shrug as they reach his car.

KRUPPS  
Come on. I've got something to  
show you.

Sam eyes him warily as he goes around to the driver's side of  
the car.

SAM  
Something else?

CUT TO:

EXT. KRUPPS' HOUSE - LATER

A very large, two-story white Spanish-style place, with a  
spacious tree-filled front lawn and a circular driveway,  
which Krupps' car pulls into. The passenger door opens and  
Sam steps out, surveying the property.

SAM  
(whistling)  
Nice. I didn't know principals  
made THAT much.

Krupps has gotten out of his side of the car.

KRUPPS  
I had some investments do well.  
(gesturing)  
Let's go inside, shall we?

CUT TO:

INT. KRUPPS' VESTIBULE - MOMENTS LATER

Two stories high, with a sweeping staircase running up one  
wall, and opening into a huge living room. One of the front  
double doors opens, and Krupps guides Sam inside

KRUPPS  
Would you like a tour?

Sam grins wickedly at him.

SAM  
If this were one of those cheesy  
older-man-seduces-young-girl  
movies, you'd offer to show me your  
etchings.

He snaps his fingers in mock disappointment.

KRUPPS  
Damn, and I forgot to stop at the  
etching store.

She giggles convulsively.

SAM  
You're awful!

KRUPPS  
(considering)  
I thought it was fairly clever,  
myself.  
(pause)  
There is something serious I'd  
like to talk to you about.

The carefree expression vanishes from Sam's face.

SAM  
(tiredly)  
Something else? Haven't we been  
through the wringer enough for one  
morning?

KRUPPS  
It's not like that...exactly. But  
it is important.

SAM  
(grimacing)  
What?

KRUPPS  
You remember I said we had to stop  
playing around? Be completely  
straight?

SAM  
I remember it. You only said it an  
hour ago.

He nods, obviously preparing himself for something big.

KRUPPS  
Well... In light of that, this may  
sound a bit...odd.

SAM  
(echoing)  
Odd?

KRUPPS  
In fact, I'm about to fulfill your  
stepfather's worst nightmare.

SAM  
(totally lost)  
What?

He spreads his hands in the most casual, non-threatening  
gesture possible.

KRUPPS  
Sam...I want you to move in with  
me.

BLACK OUT.

END OF ACT TWO


	4. Act Three

ACT THREE

FADE IN:

INT. KRUPPS' VESTIBULE - CONTINUOUS

Sam just stands there, gaping.

SAM  
Excuse me?

KRUPPS  
I'd like it very much if you came  
to live here. There's a spare  
bedroom, with its own bathroom, at  
the other end of the hall from my  
room. you'd have all the privacy  
you wanted, come and go as you  
please—I definitely would not  
"cramp your style"...

SAM  
But, I HAVE a place!

KRUPPS  
Sam...you live in a run-down studio  
in a run-down building in a run-  
down part of town. Your neighbor  
got beaten in her own apartment.  
That could've been YOU.

Sam lays a comforting hand on his arm.

SAM  
I appreciate the offer, really.  
But I'll be all right. Promise.  
Now, if we're going to talk about  
budget projections—

She looks around.

SAM  
Shoot. I left them in the car.

She turns around and starts back towards the door.

KRUPPS  
Sam...

Sam turns back expectantly.

KRUPPS (CONT'D)  
Just think about it, okay?

SAM  
(sigh)  
Okay. But I'm not changing my  
mind.

She heads for the door again.

CUT TO:

EXT. KENNEDY HIGH - AFTERNOON

Harrison is sitting quietly on a low landscaping wall, staring  
out at some point in the distance. Natalie comes up and sits  
a few feet away. She doesn't look over at him; instead she  
also gazes off at something far away. (In fact, they have  
most of this conversation without ever looking at each other.)

NATALIE  
(dully)  
How could you possibly understand?

HARRISON  
I just do.

NATALIE  
You don't know how it feels.

HARRISON  
You can't just be friends. You  
can't be around them, day after  
day, acting like nothing's  
changed...watching them be with  
someone else.

NATALIE  
(faintly surprised)  
Yeah.

HARRISON  
I said something like that to Sam.  
When she picked George.

NATALIE  
Oh.

A long silence.

NATALIE (CONT'D)  
You were a wuss.

HARRISON  
What?

NATALIE  
Letting Sam pick George.

HARRISON  
I didn't LET Sam pick. I MADE Sam  
pick.

NATALIE  
That wasn't very smart.

HARRISON  
Well, I didn't think she'd pick  
HIM.

NATALIE  
You were still a wuss. You  
should've fought for her.

HARRISON  
You mean, fight-fight? George  
woulda kicked my ass.

NATALIE  
So? At least you would've DONE  
something.  
(pause)  
Besides, if you really love  
somebody, aren't they worth getting  
your ass kicked for?

Harrison's expression makes it clear he hadn't considered that  
before.

HARRISON  
Maybe.

After another silence, a disturbing thought occurs to him.

HARRISON (CONT'D)  
Natalie...you're not going to...?

NATALIE  
Fight?

HARRISON  
Yeah.

NATALIE  
Maybe.

Harrison closes his eyes tiredly.

HARRISON  
Please, please don't fight Brooke.  
I don't want to see either one of  
you hurt.

NATALIE  
(plainly)  
Too late. But don't feel bad—it's  
not your fault.  
(pause)  
Unless you consider being cute your  
fault.

HARRISON  
Hey, I didn't ask you to be  
attracted to me.

NATALIE  
Yeah. Me either.

Lingering silence.

HARRISON  
So now what?

NATALIE  
I guess I'd better go throw down  
with Brooke.

They look at each other.

NATALIE (CONT'D)  
Kidding.

HARRISON  
Promise me that you will not fight  
with Brooke.

NATALIE  
Don't you think that's a bit  
presumptuous, demanding promises  
from someone who you want to go  
away?

HARRISON  
(serious)  
Please.

NATALIE  
(sigh)  
Tell you what—I promise I won't  
fight with Brooke, if she doesn't  
fight with me.

HARRISON  
Okay.

NATALIE  
Okay. But I swear, Harrison—she  
raises a hand to me, I'll kick her  
ass all the way to Tiajuana.

HARRISON  
Great. I'm being wooed by a street  
fighter.

NATALIE  
"Wooed"?  
(thinking)  
Wooed...that's what I'll do! I'll  
woo you!

HARRISON  
(rubbing his eyes)  
Oh, God, please don't.

Natalie hops off the wall.

NATALIE  
I'll be fun! I gotta go read up on  
this wooing thing. Seeya,  
Harrison!

And just like that, she's gone.

HARRISON  
(groaning)  
Aw, MAN...

CUT TO:

EXT. MCQUEEN FRONT PORCH - LATER

Brooke steps up to her front door, but doesn't open it.  
Instead she turns away, struggling with herself. Then she  
takes a couple of deep, tantric breaths, and puts that  
expressionless mask on her face.

CUT TO:

INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Brooke walks into her home, the perfectly unapproachable  
Stepford child. However, the effect is wasted: the room is  
deserted. A slight pffft of disappoitment is the only  
reaction Brooke allows herself. She wanders over to the  
endtable where the day's mail is piled. Idly she picks the  
pile up.

INSERT: THE MAIL

The top envelope in Brooke's hand is addressed to her, with  
the UCLA seal in the corner. She shuffles the envelopes, and  
we see the top five are from various colleges.

Brooke separates the college letters and sets the rest of the  
mail back down. She picks up a handy letter opener and slices  
open the first envelope, pulling out the letter inside.

INSERT: THE LETTER

The most obvious part of the letter is the large "DECLINED"  
stamped in red at the top. A few phrases come into sharp  
focus, such as "not granted admission" and "insufficient grade  
point average".

Brooke shakes her head in confusion, or shock, or both.  
Hurriedly she opens the other envelopes, ripping out the  
letters. As it becomes obvious that they are all rejections,  
Brooke comes closer to crying, tears welling up in her eyes.  
She's on the verge of losing it when, from behind her:

MIKE  
Brooke?

Brooke freezes. Unseen by Mike—and Jane, who is with him—  
her fists clench, and she squeezes her eyes shut tightly,  
blinking away her tears. She makes a concerted effort to  
control her breathing. It takes a few seconds, but finally  
the mask drops back into place.

BROOKE  
(emotionless)  
Yes?

MIKE  
Did you see the mail?

BROOKE  
Yes.

MIKE  
(helpful)  
You got letters from colleges.

BROOKE  
I saw them.

MIKE  
(prompting)  
And?

No answer; just the barest shrug.

MIKE  
(exasperated)  
Did you open them yet?

BROOKE  
Yes.

MIKE  
And?

Jane takes a step forward.

JANE  
(calm)  
Brooke, can we see the letters,  
please?

Unfortunately for Brooke, the compliant but indifferent  
attitude she's adopted makes it impossible to just ignore a  
polite request. So she silently holds the batch of envelopes  
and letters up, offering them over her shoulder without  
turning around. Jane comes forwards and takes them out of  
Brooke's hand, then returns to Mike's side. Together they  
examine the letters, and—still unseen—Brooke grits her teeth  
as she hears the hasps and expressions of shock from behind  
her.

MIKE  
What is—? This is impossible—!  
Brooke!

Brooke gives herself another moment to compose herself. Then  
she slowly turns to face Mike and Jane, utterly impassive.

MIKE (CONT'D)  
This is outrageous! Did you see  
these?

BROOKE  
Yes.

MIKE  
Your grades are more than good  
enough to get into any of these  
schools! We need to march right  
down to the high school and  
demand—

He breaks off, peering at Brooke unreadable face.

MIKE (CONT'D)  
(shouting)  
What's wrong with you? Don't you  
care?

Brooke just shrugs, but she's having to work to keep her face  
still and her breathing steady; it's clear that her control is  
skating on a razor-thin edge. Jand puts a calming hand on  
Mike's arm and steps between them.

JANE  
Brooke, I know you're hurt. And  
confused. I can see it. We can  
help you. Please, won't you talk  
to us? Won't you let us help you?

Brooke swallows, her jaw clenched.

BROOKE  
No.

She turns away and, very deliberately, walks towards the  
stairs. Mike makes a move as though he's going to call her  
back, but Jane's grip on his arm tightens, and he holds his  
peace.

From behind and below it looks as though Brooke is the model  
of poise. But in fact—though she keeps her body from  
trembling—the tears are running down her face before she  
reaches the top of the stairs.

Meanwhile, Mike looks at Jane bleakly.

MIKE  
Go ahead.

JANE  
Mike...

MIKE  
We have to. There's nothing else  
we can do now.

Jane nods soberly. She fishes a business card out from  
somewhere, walks over to the other endtable and picks up the  
living room phone. Reading the card, she punches out a  
number, and waits for an answer.

JANE  
(into the phone)  
Hello? This is, uh, Jane  
McQueen... Please, it's  
important... No, it's Brooke...  
Look, we need help. You might be  
the only person she'll listen to...  
If you would. We'd be very  
grateful... All right.

CUT TO:

INT. BROOKE'S BEDROOM

By the time Brooke gets to her room, she is weeping freely,  
but silently. She flings the door behind her, catching it  
just in time to keep it from slamming shut. Running to her  
bedside table, she picks up her phone, speed-dails a number—  
only to get a busy signal. She throws the phone across the  
room, falling on the bed and curling up in a fetal position,  
burying her head under her pillow.

CUT TO:

EXT. SAM'S APARTMENT BUILDING - LATER

Sam's little green car pulls around to the side of the  
building, maneuvering into an empty space. Sam gets out and  
starts to walk towards the main street; but before she can  
get there, Reyanna steps out from a niche in the wall.

SAM  
Reyanna? Hey.

Reyanna looks nervous. Actually, she looks scared to death.

REYANNA  
I really need to talk. Can we  
talk? Inside?

SAM  
Uhhh...yeah, sure.

Sam leads Reyanna towards the front of the building.

CUT TO:

INT SAM'S APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER

The door opens and Sam shows Reyanna in. Reyanna still looks  
like a gazelle surrounded by lions, and Sam—a little unnerved  
herself by this time—leads her to the bed and sits her down.  
Sam sits beside her.

SAM  
This is about Jaycee, isn't it?

REYANNA  
She made me swear not to say  
anything, but...

SAM  
It's okya, Reyanna...

REYANNA  
Oh, no. It's not okay. They could  
get me. They could get YOU.

SAM  
Wait, who's "they"? You mean  
Jaycee really does know who beat  
her up?

REYANNA  
Well, no, but she knows Ricky sent  
them.

SAM  
Who's Ricky?

Reyanna looks at Sam as though she'd just asked who the  
President was.

REYANNA  
Ricky Manzetti.

SAM  
(laughing awkwardly)  
Jeez, what is this, "The Sopranos"?

Reyanna hushes her, as if he could hear.

REYANNA  
It's not a joke! What he did to  
Jaycee, that was just a warning.

SAM  
Okay, this Ricky guy, he's  
Jaycee's...supplier?

Reyanna nods.

SAM (CONT'D)  
(guessing)  
And she owes him money?

REYANNA  
(emphatically)  
Oh, she's into him big time.

SAM  
A lot?

Another nod.

SAM (CONT'D)  
How much?

Reyanna actually scoots away from Sam a bit, as though the  
subject were contagious.

REYANNA  
You don't wanna know, really—

Sam catches her hand.

SAM  
(insistent)  
How much?

Reyanna turns away, her face hidden in her long blonde hair;  
but Sam can still hear her answer:

REYANNA  
Twelve thousand.

Sam's eyes go wide and her mouth drops. In a sudden reversal,  
Reyanna crowds against her, clutching at her like a lifeline.

REYANNA (CONT'D)  
I'm scared, Sam. If Jaycee can't  
come up with the money...

Sam puts an arm around Reyanna's shoulder.

SAM  
I don't think that this guy will go  
around beating up everyone Jaycee  
knows.

Reyanna looks up at her with big, frightened eyes.

REYANNA  
He might.

Sam takes a moment to think.

SAM  
Okay...this Ricky, he wants his  
money, right? And he knows Jaycee  
can't do anything while she's in  
the hospital, right? So he's going  
to wait until she's out before he  
does anything else. So—I'm going  
to drive you home, okay? You'll be  
all right, trust me.

Reyanna doesn't look nearly as convinced, but she allows Sam  
to pull her up and take her to the door. Sam reaches to open  
the door and—

CUT TO:

EXT. MCQUEEN FRONT PORCH

Another door—the McQueens'—opens. Jane is standing in the  
doorway.

JANE  
Thank you so much for coming.

CUT TO:

INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

As Jane steps aside and Osbourne walks in.

OSBOURNE  
(greeting)  
Mrs. McQueen, Mr. McQueen.

Mike comes forward.

MIKE  
Brooke's in her room.

He holds out the letters.

MIKE (CONT'D)  
These came today.

Osbourne takes the letters and scans them.

OSBOURNE  
I find this rather difficult to  
believe.

MIKE  
Brooke's been on the honor roll six  
straight semesters.

OSBOURNE  
Possibly an error occured, the  
wrong transcripts sent. It  
happens, rarely. And it should be  
correctible; there are procedures  
for dealing with such things.

MIKE  
Okay, fine, good. But Brooke—she  
acted like she didn't even care.

JANE  
No, that wasn't it. She was broken  
up inside, I could tell. But she  
wouldn't let it show.

MIKE  
You have to understand, she's my  
little girl. I just wanted to take  
her up in my arms and make  
everything better, and she wouldn't  
even let me...

He sits on the sofa's armrest unsteadily, the picture of  
misery.

MIKE  
Does she really hate us...hate  
ME...THAT much?

Osbourne shakes his head, not unkindly.

OSBOURNE  
No, Mr. McQueen. Though given the  
circumstances, Miss McQueen's  
behavior is unsurprising.

JANE  
Why?

OSBOURNE  
I'm afraid I must begin with yet  
another apology. In order to help  
Miss McQueen understand her  
difficulties with you, I  
recommended a book on family  
relationships. Unfortunately, she  
decided to use the book's analysis  
of teenage behavior as source  
material...a strategy guide, so to  
speak.

Despite the situation, a hint of a smile plays on Jane's lips.

JANE  
Sounds like Brooke.  
(pause)  
But what did you mean by "given the  
circumstances"?

OSBOURNE  
Appearances to the contrary, I  
believe Miss McQueen would very  
much like a healthy relationship  
with you.  
(to Mike)  
I'm sure she wanted nothing more  
than to be comforted by you, Mr.  
McQueen. She simply couldn't allow  
herself to be.

MIKE  
Why the hell not?

OSBOURNE  
It would seem that she were backing  
down because she couldn't deal with  
the rejection letters. She can't  
accept that. Her innate  
stubbornness drives her to continue  
playing the antagonist, regardless  
of the emotional cost.

MIKE  
(ruefully)  
I guess we know where she gets THAT  
from.

Jane goes to Mike and leans on him, arm around his shoulder.

JANE  
Can you help?

OSBOURNE  
Truthfully—I don't know. I can  
attempt to talk to Miss McQueen,  
of course.

Mike and Jane look at each other; then Jane nods for both of  
them.

CUT TO:

INT. BROOKE'S BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Brooke is still curled up on the bed; the only difference is  
that she's buried herself under the covers.

There is a knock at the door. Brooke doesn't so much as move.  
After a few seconds, there is a another knock.

OSBOURNE (O.S.)  
(from behind the door)  
Miss McQueen?

Brooke pokes her head out, glances at the door.

OSBOURNED (O.S.) (CONT'D)  
It's Erick Osbourne.  
(pause)  
I'm alone. Please open the door.

Finally Brooke crawls out of bed, trudges to the door and  
pulls it open. Osbourne is standing there, alone as promised.

BROOKE  
What are you doing here?

Her eyes flick towards the stairs.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
(sullen)  
THEY called you.

Osbourne flashes her a deadpan look.

OSBOURNE  
Of course. Did you expect them to  
do otherwise?

BROOKE  
Yeah. I expected them to padlock  
the door from the outside and call  
the mental ward.

OSBOURNE  
(chuckling)  
I doubt they would resort to  
something so...outlandish.

Brooke stares at him.

BROOKE  
Have you not been paying attention  
to the way they've been acting?

OSBOURNE  
(shrugs)  
Perhaps your father and stepmother  
have learned that the brute force  
approach can be counter-productive.

BROOKE  
They didn't learn the first ten  
times it didn't work.

Brooke steps to one side, silently inviting Osbourne in.  
After he's inside, she closes the door behind him, then pulls  
out the chair at her computer desk for him. She sits on the  
edge of the bed.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
(trying for lightness)  
Bet when you took this job, you  
never thought you'd be sitting in  
one of your female students'  
bedrooms.

Osbourne takes a quick glance around.

OSBOURNE  
I believe that would be a safe bet.  
One must admit to the unlikely  
nature of this scene.

BROOKE  
(spreading her hands)  
Welcome to my world.

A moment of awkward silence.

OSBOURNE  
Well. You know why I'm here.

BROOKE  
Because the parental units called  
you?

OSBOURNE  
I've seen the letters, Miss  
McQueen.

The life goes out of Brooke.

BROOKE  
Oh.

OSBOURNE  
Needless to say, I am quite  
concerned.

Brooke doesn't seem to know what to say; her arms flail  
helplessly.

BROOKE  
I...don't understand what happened.  
I tried really hard... I only got  
one C my whole life... I just...  
don't...

Brooke finally breaks down, sobbing uncontrollably. Osbourne  
feels moved to go and sit on the bed next to her, putting an  
arm around her shoulder awkwardly, patting her as she cries  
into his jacket.

OSBOURNE  
There, there, Miss McQueen. I'm  
certain that this is the result of  
a simple mistake. It will be  
remedied, I assure you.

BROOKE  
(sniffling)  
How come you never call me Brooke?

OSBOURNE  
Pardon?

BROOKE  
I'm always "Miss McQueen". Like  
I'm just another student.

Osbourne looks down at Brooke, still resting her head on his  
chest.

OSBOURNE  
You're correct, I suppose. It's  
merely a device, designed to  
maintain a degree of separation.  
(pause)  
It does seem rather...absurd, just  
now.

BROOKE  
I'm sorry. I'm getting you all  
wet.

OSBOURNE  
Nonsense. It's a perfectly normal  
reaction.

BROOKE  
Bawling my eyes out all over is  
normal?

OSBOURNE  
Of course.  
(pause)  
But you are aware that I'm not the  
person to whom you should be  
"bawling your eyes out".

Brooke pulls away, closing in on herself.

BROOKE  
(a whisper)  
I can't.

OSBOURNE  
You must. You cannot continue on  
this path. Your father and  
stepmother are acutely aware of the  
damage they have caused. Their  
relationship with Miss McPherson  
may well be irreparable. They are  
desperate not to lose you as well.

Brooke is shaking her head.

BROOKE  
I don't know...

OSBOURNE  
Please, Miss...Brooke. You must  
try.

BROOKE  
What if it doesn't work? What if  
they're just as controlling with me  
as they tried to be with Sam?

OSBOURNE  
However it turns out, you will  
never forgive yourself if you do  
not make the attempt now.

Brooke mulls that over.

CUT TO:

INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Mike and Jane are still waiting in the living room. They  
watch with great trepidation as Osbourne guides Brooke down  
the stairs, waiting a discreet distance away, afraid to come  
too close. Osbourne brings Brooke to within a few feet—there  
she stops, glancing back and forth between him and Mike.  
Osbourne nods encouragingly and gently prods her forward,  
while Mike holds his arms open, inviting her in. Brooke takes  
one hesitant step—then breaks and runs into her father's  
arms. He hugs her tightly; with his arms wrapped securely  
around her, she starts to cry again.

MIKE  
(patting her hair)  
Shhh...Daddy's going to make it all  
right...

Osbourne takes a step back, towards the front door.

OSBOURNE  
I believe I should leave you alone  
now—

Brooke turns in Mike's arms.

BROOKE  
No! I don't want you to go.

JANE  
It's all right. Please stay.

MIKE  
(to Brooke)  
Come on. Let's sit down and talk.

Mike walks Brooke over to the sofa and sits her down. He and  
Jane sit on either side of her, while Osbourne remains on his  
feet, a few feet away. Mike gives Brooke a handkerchief; she  
dries her eyes.

JANE  
Honey, your father and I have  
talked aobut this at length, and  
we think we've come up with  
something that will make everybody  
happy.

MIKE  
The deal is this: we stop treating  
you like a child, and you stop  
treating us like parents.

BROOKE  
I'm sorry, what?

MIKE  
I said, we stop treating you—

BROOKE  
(interrupting)  
Yeah, what do you mean, treating  
you like parents?

MIKE  
For instance, this "Stepford girl"  
routine you've been pulling around  
here. You know you wouldn't act  
that way towards anyone else. You  
only do it around us because we're  
your parents.

JANE  
We're just saying we want you to  
treat us the same way you would any  
other adult. And we'll do the same  
for you.

MIKE  
What we want is to be three adult  
individuals sharing a household.  
It's that simple.

BROOKE  
It can't POSSIBLY be that simple.

JANE  
(sigh)  
At least it's a place to start.  
Please, Brooke, can't we just try?

Brooke looks back and forth between them, clearly wanting to  
be convinced, but still holding back.

MIKE  
I'll learn to let go. I promise.

Brooke curls her hand around his.

BROOKE  
You don't have to...you know...let  
go all the way.

There are expressions of relief all around as the tension  
breaks, and Mike and Jane hug Brooke around her shoulders.  
Her eyes to Osbourne.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
(to Osbourne)  
Thank you.

JANE  
That goes for us too.

OSBOURNE  
This bodes well, I think. Of  
course I'll look into the matter of  
Miss McQueen's records immediately.

He starts to turn, but Mike stops him.

MIKE  
Mr. Osbourne—wait. Before you go,  
there's something else we need your  
help with.

He looks at Brooke.

MIKE (CONT'D)  
(to Brooke)  
Your help, too.

JANE  
Sam.

BROOKE  
(snorts)  
You want my help with Sam?

MIKE  
(to Brooke and Osbourne)  
I know our last try at this didn't  
go very well, but we're ready to  
listen now.

BROOKE  
I don't know why you'd want to  
listen to me. I was the one with  
the bright idea that Lily and  
Carmen could talk Sam out of  
popping pills.

JANE  
We know your intentions were good,  
honey.  
(to Osbourne)  
Please, won't you sit down and  
bring us up to date?

OSBOURNE  
I'll assist in any way I can, of  
course, Mrs. McQueen.

So Osbourne sits down across from Jane, Brooke and Mike, who  
are—at least for the moment—a functional family again.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT THREE


	5. Act Four

ACT FOUR

FADE IN:

EST. KENNEDY HIGH - AFTERNOON

The afternoon of the following day.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY

Osbourne is walking down an empty corridor when he crosses  
paths with Principal Krupps.

KRUPPS  
Erick, can I have a word with you?

OSBOURNE  
Certainly, Mr. Krupps.

The two men step to one side of the hall.

KRUPPS  
It seems I owe you an apology,  
Erick.

OSBOURNE  
(raising an eyebrow)  
Indeed? How so?

KRUPPS  
A week ago, you said that I was  
using Sam McPherson as a  
substitute for my daughter Amanda.

OSBOURNE  
I don't believe it's that cut and  
dried—

KRUPPS  
No, you were right. I apologize  
for my behavior that day. I was in  
denial...but Sam made me face up to  
the truth.

OSBOURNE  
(surprised)  
Miss McPherson did?

KRUPPS  
Couldn't deny my feelings to her.

OSBOURNE  
I see. Then...you've discontinued  
the relationship?

KRUPPS  
Of course not. Now that we both  
understand the context, it makes  
things much simpler.

OSBOURNE  
Mr. Krupps, you simply cannot be  
Miss McPherson's surrogate father.

KRUPPS  
Why not? Her question, not mine.

OSBOURNE  
(flabbergasted)  
It's obviously improper—!

KRUPPS  
We don't think so.

OSBOURNE  
"We"? Miss McPherson is incapable  
of making this decision.

KRUPPS  
Why not? My question, not hers.  
I'm not horning in on anyone's  
territory—except maybe for Mike  
McQueen's, and just between you, me  
and the wall, I don't think he's up  
to it.

OSBOURNE  
That's not—

KRUPPS  
Frankly, it's this attitude that  
Sam isn't able to think for herself  
that alienates her the most. I  
expected better than that from you,  
Erick.

With that, Krupps turns and walks away, leaving Osbourne to  
scratch his head.

CUT TO:

INT. ANOTHER HALLWAY

Harrison is packing up at his locker. He closes the door—  
and jumps when he sees Natalie standing behind it.

HARRISON  
(irate)  
Now who's sneaking?

NATALIE  
Sorry.  
(pause)  
You wanna hit me?

HARRISON  
(heavy sigh)  
No, I don't want to hit you.

NATALIE  
Good. Here.

She holds out a small white box.

HARRISON  
What's that?

NATALIE  
(laughing)  
Well, take it and find out.

Reluctantly, Harrison takes the box and opens it. Inside is a  
slip of paper.

HARRISON  
(reading)  
"Good for two tickets to a special  
showing of 'The Breakfast Club',  
Saturday at midnight".

He looks at her skeptically.

HARRISON (CONT'D)  
Why are you doing this?

NATALIE  
Well, candy and flowers seemed  
stupid, and I know you wouldn't go  
out to dinner with me or anything,  
so...  
(cajoling)  
Come on, Harrison, say yes, please?  
I'll take care of everything. All  
you have to do is meet me at my  
place at eleven-thirty on Saturday.  
Come on, I know how much you love  
John Hughes movies.

HARRISON  
How do you know that?

NATALIE  
(shrugs)  
Sam talks about you sometimes.  
(pause)  
You're Brian, right? The Brain.  
The geeky one? Sam says she's  
Alison, which—though I like Ally  
Sheedy—I cannot see at all.

HARRISON  
I think she means in the "being a  
misfit" sense.

NATALIE  
But they're all misfits! Even the  
ones who aren't. Isn't that the  
point? That we're all the same  
underneath? We're all in the same  
boat together, whether we know it  
or not?

Harrison is fascinated despite himself.

HARRISON  
Yeah...I guess it is.

NATALIE  
Besides, the music is the bomb.

She hums a few bars of "We Are Not Alone" while Harrison  
looks on, impressed, again in spite of himself.

HARRISON  
Not many people pay attention to  
the music. Except the main theme.

NATALIE  
Are you kidding? I've had that  
soundtrack for years. Simple  
Minds, though? Way oversold.  
"Don't You Forget About Me" was not  
their best work.  
(pause)  
So, what do you say? Say yes.  
Please? Pretty please?

Harrison's face scrunches up.

HARRISON  
Natalie, I can't.

NATALIE  
What are you going to do Saturday  
night instead? Stay home and fight  
with Brooke?

HARRISON  
Hey, you're the reason I'm fighting  
with Brooke in the first place.

NATALIE  
(snorting)  
Oh, that's bull and you know it,  
Harrison. You and Brooke were  
fighting long before me.  
(pause)  
Don't you want to have fun for a  
change? Just once?

HARRISON  
(rubbing his eyes)  
Okay, okay. But JUST the movie.  
Nothing else.

She holds up her hands.

NATALIE  
Absolutely. I swear. See you  
Saturday night.

She moves off down the hall, lightly, almost skipping.

HARRISON  
(calling)  
Hey!

Natalie stops, turns.

HARRISON (CONT'D)  
Which one are you?

A sly smile appears on Natalie's lips.

NATALIE  
I'm the girl who doesn't get  
detention.

And she disappears around a corner.

Harrison stares after Natalie for a moment, bemused. With a  
sigh, he turns to pick up his backpack—and Brooke comes  
rushing up.

BROOKE  
Harrison! I'm glad I caught you.

He looks at her, and she grimaces.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
I know that look. It's the "is she  
mad at me today?" look.

Harrison starts to protest, but Brooke holds up a hand to stop  
him.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
No, you're completely justified.  
I have been totally schizoid. But  
that's all going to change.

HARRISON  
(cautiously)  
Brooke, what are you talking about?

BROOKE  
Look, I've been so wrapped up in  
Sam, and Dad and Jane... I haven't  
been taking responsiblity for our  
relationship.

HARRISON  
I'm not sure what that means  
exactly, but—

BROOKE  
I've just been blindly reacting to  
things instead of keeping my cool.  
Take Natalie, for instance.

Harrison is suddenly very uncomfortable.

HARRISON  
N-Natalie? Wh-Wh-What about  
Natalie?

BROOKE  
You were right—it's absolutely  
stupid to let what she does get to  
me. And blaming you when she comes  
on to you? You were so right not  
to let me get away with that.  
Obviously it's not YOUR fault. I  
mean, it's not like you're  
encouraging her.

Harrison does a very good imitation of a fish out of water.

HARRISON  
Uhhh...right.

BROOKE  
So from now on, I'm going to  
remember that her advances are  
totally unwelcome and that you want  
nothing to do with her.

HARRISON  
Uhhh...

BROOKE  
And as for YOU—

She leans in and kisses him, quick, on the lips.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
—you don't have to worry. From  
now on, I am going to be fully  
committed to making our  
relationship work. Starting with  
Saturday.

Once again, Harrison practically goes into convulsions.

HARRISON  
S-S-Saturday?

BROOKE  
Sure! We'll hang out all  
afternoon. No shopping, I promise.  
There will only be guy- and girl-  
friendly activities.

For the first time, she seems to sense something wrong.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
Harrison? Are you okay?

HARRISON  
Huh? Oh, um, ah, yeah. Fine.

That's good enough for Brooke.

BROOKE  
Great!

She backs away.

BROOKE (CONT'D)  
I'll call you! We'll make plans!

She turns and heads off, stepping as sprightly as Natalie did.

HARRISON  
(after her)  
Right! Plans! Saturday!  
(to himself)  
Great. Just great. You're  
spending time with Brooke AND  
Natalie on the same day.

He picks up his backpack, slings it over his shoulder, and  
starts off down the hall. He's only gone a short distance,  
though, when Sam joins up with him. He gives her a sour look  
but doesn't say anything.

SAM  
(tight-lipped)  
I see. You're so repulsed by me  
that you can't stand to be seen in  
the same hallway?

HARRISON  
Sam, don't be silly. Of course I'm  
not repulsed by you.

Sam turns her face away.

HARRISON (CONT'D)  
Maybe I was a little harsh the other day.

SAM  
But you still meant it.

HARRISON  
(slightly defensive)  
Sam, you've changed.

SAM  
No I haven't! It's still me!

HARRISON  
But...  
(waving his arms)  
...you know.

SAM  
(insistent)  
It's not hurting anyone!

HARRISON  
It's hurting YOU.

SAM  
Harrison, I'm fine. I swear to  
God.

HARRISON  
And by the way, what's this thing  
with you and Principal Krupps?

Sam glares at him.

SAM  
Don't you start, too.

HARRISON  
What do you expect? You're fooling  
around with this guy—

SAM  
We were just playing...

HARRISON  
Yeah, I heard. You and Mr. Krupps  
in a hot tub, all touchy-feely.

SAM  
It wasn't—! It was just a game.  
We were just kidding.

HARRISON  
For God's sake, Sam, why? The guy  
is old enough to be your father.

SAM  
It was just fun, okay? Making  
everyone wonder.  
(pause)  
Anyway, we're not doing that  
anymore.

HARRISON  
You thought it would be fun to make  
me—make everyone think you were  
sleeping around with the principal.

SAM  
(gesturing)  
Hence the repulsion.

HARRISON  
For the last time, I am not  
repulsed by you! Besides, you  
pushed me away first.  
(pause)  
You always pushed me away first.

SAM  
(hurt)  
Oh, that's not fair!

HARRISON  
Why not? It's true. What, was it  
just a mistake?

SAM  
(looking at the floor)  
Pushing you away is always a  
mistake.

HARRISON  
Huh?

SAM  
(louder)  
Nothing.

HARRISON  
You just...sometimes you make it  
really hard to be your friend.

Sam stops walking; Harrison overruns her by a couple of steps.

SAM  
Do not! Besides, I didn't think  
you were. Anymore.

HARRISON  
(angry)  
Come on, Sam, just cut the self-  
pity act already. If I wasn't your  
friend I wouldn't be standing here  
arguing with you.

SAM  
If you were my friend, you wouldn't  
have slept with Brooke.

Now it's Harrison's turn to be injured.

HARRISON  
That's low, Sam.

SAM  
Why? It's true.

Harrison is left avoiding her eyes.

HARRISON  
Yeah.

SAM  
I guess maybe there really is too  
much water under the bridge.  
(shrugs)  
Sorry for bothering you.

She turns away, but Harrison catches her arm.

HARRISON  
Wait. Look, I know there's been  
some bad stuff—really bad stuff—  
between us. But there's been lots  
of good stuff, too! Years and  
years of good stuff.

SAM  
So what are you saying exactly,  
Harrison?

HARRISON  
I don't know! I thought we weren't  
going to fight each other anymore.

SAM  
Never seeing each other again would  
accomplish that.

HARRISON  
Is that what you want, Sam? Is  
that what you really want?

Sam turns her back to Harrison again, mumbling something  
unintelligible.

HARRISON (CONT'D)  
What? Tell me, Sam.

He spins her around, and is shocked to find her crying. She  
shakes his arm off.

SAM  
How...how could you...

Harrison makes a move towards her, but she steps back, fists  
clenched at her sides, glaring at him furiously through her  
tears.

SAM (CONT'D)  
You were EVERYTHING to me! Last  
summer, I thought...I thought...

HARRISON  
Sam, please stop crying—

SAM  
(unhearing)  
...and then you...you...you just...

She turns and runs off down the hallway. Harrison takes a  
step to follow, then stops himself.

HARRISON  
(to himself)  
Don't run after her, Harrison.  
It's a seriously bad idea. Don't  
run after her, don't run after her,  
don't... Aw, hell—SAM!

He takes off after Sam.

CUT TO:

INT. STAIRWELL - MOMENTS LATER

Sam is sitting at the bottom of the steps, huddled against the  
wall, staring at nothing. Harrison comes up and gingerly sits  
down beside her.

HARRISON  
You're right. You're absolutely  
right. I ruined everything between  
us. And you probably shouldn't  
ever see me again, not after what I  
did. B'but...I don't want to never  
see you again. Okay, and I know I  
have absolutely no right to ask you  
to have anything to do with me...

SAM  
(dead)  
What do you want, Harrison?

Harrison gropes for words for a moment.

HARRISON  
I want...another chance. A—a  
chance for us to be—I don't even  
know what, but— Oh, God, this  
sounds so lame... I just can't  
stand the thought of you walking  
out of my life forever, okay?

Several heartbeats' worth of silence. Then Sam stands up,  
looking straight ahead, not at Harrison.

SAM  
Okay.

HARRISON  
Huh?

SAM  
The coffee shop. Ten A.M.,  
Saturday. If we're both there...  
then we'll try. To be...something.  
Otherwise...we'll know it's over  
forever.

Without another word or a backward glance, she walks off.  
Harrison is totally relieved for a couple of moments before  
it dawns on him.

HARRISON  
Wait a—Saturday?

He smacks his forehead in frustration.

CUT TO:

INT. SAM'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

The apartment is dark. The front door opens—a rectangle of  
light, shilouetting Sam's figure. She steps inside, flips the  
light switch—and freezes.

The apartment has been ransacked.

The matress has been upended, the dresser drawers opened and  
dumped on the floor. Sam blindly closes the door behind her,  
stepping dazedly over the piles of her things, looking around  
in shock. She stoops down and picks up the photograph of her  
father.

INSERT: THE PHOTOGRAPH

The glass inside the frame is shattered.

CUT TO:

INT. KRUPPS' VESTIBULE - LATER

The doorbell rings, a fairly normal chime for such a large  
house. After a few moments Krupps approaches the double doors  
and opens them.

Standing on the portico is Sam, a suitcase in each hand.

SAM  
Hi.

BLACK OUT.

END OF ACT FOUR

THE END


End file.
